English
English version: 'You are a pitiable person, not me! Why is that? Because you are entangled by the five desires (referring to the desires of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch), driven by love and affection, unable to be free and at ease. My mind is now calm and joyful, without desires, free and at ease, with all kinds of happiness.' After speaking the Dharma to King Bimbisara (Bimbisara, an ancient king of Magadha in India), the king returned. Someone asked: 'These four groups of disciples all love the Buddha's teachings and want to practice the three deeds of a Bodhisattva (referring to giving, upholding precepts, and patience). Some want to practice for one day and one night, some want to practice for seven days, and some even want to practice for a lifetime. How much merit will they obtain?' The answer was: 'This question is very profound, and I cannot answer it! Only the Buddha knows how much merit there is. Apart from the Tathagata (another name for the Buddha), no one can fully understand! For example, the king of Yuezhi (Yuezhi, an ancient country in Central Asia) wanted to seek the Buddha's path, so he built thirty-two stupas (Stupa, a Buddhist monument), offering them to the Buddha's image, building them one by one. When he was building the thirty-first stupa, an evil person offended the king, and the king's heart retreated, thinking: 'How can such an evil person be saved?' Immediately he changed his mind, abandoning the pursuit of the cycle of birth and death, and turning towards Nirvana (Nirvana, a Buddhist term referring to the state of liberation from birth and death), building the thirty-second stupa to seek liberation. Because of this cause and condition, he eventually attained the state of Arhat (Arhat, a stage of Buddhist practice), therefore this temple is called Pratimoksha (Pratimoksha, meaning liberation from birth and death in Chinese). Since then, less than two hundred years have passed, and this temple is still there today. I have also seen it, and each temple has beautiful Buddha images.' After the king passed away, a person obtained a flower from an Amra tree (Amra, mango tree), its color like gold. This person obtained a beautiful flower and wanted to use it as a head ornament, but then he thought to himself: 'This head is impermanent, and when it decays, it will be eaten by foxes and dogs, and become as filthy as dirt. Why should I use it to adorn myself!' So he took the flower into the pagoda, saw the auspicious marks of the Buddha image, and a thought arose in his mind: 'This is the image of Sakyamuni Buddha (Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism).' Then he contemplated the merits of the Buddha: 'The Buddha is all-knowing, greatly compassionate, possessing the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, and other merits.' After contemplating, his heart was stirred, and his hair stood on end, and he immediately offered the flower to the Buddha. After offering the flower to the Buddha, he thought: 'Although I have heard the Buddha say that offering a flower to the Buddha will surely bring great rewards, I do not know how much?' So he went out and saw a Taoist who encouraged people to do good deeds and asked: 'How much merit can I obtain by offering a flower to the Buddha?' The Taoist replied: 'I am tired of the suffering of the world, I have abandoned...' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
五欲，出家受戒而已，不读经书。如此深事，我不能知，当问读经聪明者！”即往问读经道人，答言：“我如画师，随所闻见，无有天眼神通，不能知见善恶果报。”即示坐禅道人可往问：“坐禅道人上座，是六通罗汉，必知此事！”即便往问念佛功德：“心热毛竖，以一花散佛，得几许福德？”阿罗汉即为观之，舍此身已，次第受天上、人中福德，一世至千万亿世，从一大劫，乃至八万大劫，福犹不尽，过是以往，不能复知。 阿罗汉自以众所推举，一花果报，云何不知？即语此人：“小住。”语已，遣化身至兜率天上，诣弥勒所，具称贤者所说，表之弥勒，得几许果报？弥勒答言：“不能知！正使恒河沙等一生补处菩萨尚不能知，况我一身！所以者何？佛有无量功德，福田甚良，于中种种果报无尽。待我将来成佛，乃能知之！” 佛说杂藏经 现代汉语译本： 关于五欲（panchakamaguna，指色、声、香、味、触五种欲望），即使出家受戒，如果不读经书，对于如此深奥的事情，我也无法理解，应当去请教那些读经书且聪明的人！’于是就去请教一位读经的道人，道人回答说：‘我就像一个画师，只能根据我所听所见来描绘，没有天眼神通，无法知晓善恶的果报。’于是建议他去问一位坐禅的道人，说：‘坐禅道人是上座，是具有六神通的阿罗汉（arhat，已证得涅槃的圣者），必定知道这件事！’于是他便去问念佛的功德：‘心中激动，毛发竖立，用一朵花供养佛，能获得多少福德？’阿罗汉便为他观察，此人舍弃此身之后，将次第在天上、人间享受福德，一世乃至千万亿世，从一大劫（mahākalpa，极长的时间单位）乃至八万大劫，福报仍然享用不尽，再往后的事情，我就无法知晓了。 阿罗汉自己因为被大众推举，却连一朵花的果报都无法知晓，感到疑惑。于是对这个人说：‘请稍等。’说完，便派遣一个化身到兜率天（Tusita Heaven，弥勒菩萨居住的净土），去弥勒（Maitreya，未来佛）菩萨那里，详细陈述了这个人所说的情况，请问弥勒，（他供花）能获得多少果报？弥勒回答说：‘我也不知道！即使是像恒河沙数一样多的等觉菩萨（eka-jati-pratibaddha-bodhisattva，一生补处菩萨）都无法知晓，更何况我这一身！这是什么原因呢？佛具有无量的功德，是最好的福田，在其中种下种种善因，所获得的果报是无穷无尽的。等我将来成佛的时候，才能知晓这件事！’ 《佛说杂藏经》
English
English version: Regarding the five desires (panchakamaguna, referring to the five objects of desire: form, sound, smell, taste, and touch), even if one has left home and received the precepts, without reading the scriptures, I cannot understand such profound matters. You should ask those who read the scriptures and are intelligent!’ So he went to ask a scripture-reading monk, who replied: ‘I am like a painter, only able to depict what I have heard and seen. I do not have the divine eye or supernatural powers, and cannot know the karmic consequences of good and evil.’ Then he suggested that he ask a meditating monk, saying: ‘The meditating monk is a senior, an Arhat (arhat, a liberated being who has attained Nirvana) with the six supernormal powers, and surely knows about this matter!’ So he went to ask about the merit of reciting the Buddha's name: ‘With a heart full of fervor and hair standing on end, how much merit can be obtained by offering a single flower to the Buddha?’ The Arhat then observed for him, and saw that after abandoning this body, he would successively enjoy blessings in the heavens and among humans, for one lifetime to trillions of lifetimes, from one great kalpa (mahākalpa, an extremely long unit of time) to eighty thousand great kalpas, the blessings would still not be exhausted. Beyond that, I cannot know. The Arhat himself, because he was esteemed by the masses, was puzzled that he could not even know the karmic result of a single flower. So he said to this person: ‘Please wait a moment.’ After speaking, he sent an emanation body to the Tusita Heaven (Tusita Heaven, the pure land where Maitreya Bodhisattva resides), to Maitreya (Maitreya, the future Buddha), and described in detail the situation mentioned by this person, asking Maitreya how much karmic reward (offering the flower) would bring. Maitreya replied: ‘I do not know! Even Bodhisattvas who are one birth away from Buddhahood (eka-jati-pratibaddha-bodhisattva, those who will become Buddhas in their next life) as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River would not know, let alone myself! Why is this? The Buddha has immeasurable merit and is the best field of merit. Planting various good causes within it yields endless karmic results. Only when I become a Buddha in the future will I be able to know this!’ Miscellaneous Treasury Sutra Spoken by the Buddha --------------------------------------------------------------------------------